Sander



Oct; 2, 1945. L. A. SAFFORD 2,386,006

SANDER Filed Sept. 9, 1943 3maento15' I I Qttorneg's CONTROL VALVE Patented Oct. 2, 1945 SANDER Lewis A. Safford, Watertown,.N;.Y., assignor to The New York Air Brake Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 9, 1943, Serial No. 501,682

' 4 Claims. c1. 291-53) This invention relates: to sanding devices intended for application to all the wheels of two or more cars connected in a train and capable of being put into action either pneumatically or electrically.

In the patent to Campbell 2,243,244 issued to applicants assignee May 27, 1941 there is described a sanding system in which sanding is controlled by electric circuits from theheadend of the train. The control includes means Which'may be put into action manually by the engineer or may be put into action automatically by the oconrence of a brake application. That'system also included a secondary means to initiate timed sanding on each car as an incident to the occurrence of a brake application. on that car.

The purpose in applying this secondary control is to ensure sanding on the car at the commencement oifa brake application. This is not needed where the brake application is initiated at the head of the train. but is needed. when the brake application is initiated at or near the rear end of the train through the operation of a conductors valve or as the result of a ruptured brake pipe,

to name the two more important instances. a

This timed sanding initiated on the car itself is intended to. bridge the time interval between the start of an emergency application toward the rear of the train and the response of the main sanding control at the head of the train. When the sanding valve at the head of the train functions it assumes control because the timing charcontrol. shortly after the head end control takes over.

The Campbell system of Patent 2,243,244 has demonstrated such marked utility that there is a demand for a system using simpler sand traps and Figure 1 is adiagram showing the sanding system for a locomotive andone car.

Ill

. acteristic of the local control terminates the local the Figure 2is a diagrammatic section of thecontrol mechanism fora car sander.

The sanding: control mechanism illustrated in Figure l as applied to the locomotive embodies invention of another Campbell Patent 2,222,604 issued to applicants assignee November 26, 1940.. The function of, this control is to sand thewheels on the locomotive and on all the cars of the train, if timed sanding is efiected either manually or automatically; However; if the sanding-at-will control is operated, only the sanders on the locomotive function. ing-at--wlll to be used for traction sanding in starting when it is needless and undesirable to sand ahead of car wheels. The controlling mechanism is shown in detail in the Campbell patent but need'be identified only generally here.

In Figure l the body of the engineers sanding valve is indicated at '6. Mounted on this is a button I which may be. manually operatedto initiate timed sanding. There is also a button 8 which may be manually depressed to cause sanding-atwill and this causes sanding to continueonly as long as the button is held depressed. The reservoir 9 is a timing volume which determines the duration of timed sanding, and the device I I is the impulse valve which serves as means for automatically initiating timed sanding. The pipe I! leads from aport in the control valve (not shown) which forms part or the air brake system on the locomotive. The. control is so contrived that this port is put under pneumatic pressure when the control valve functions to cause an emergency brake application.

In the well knownD 22 control valve the pipe designated by 12 in the present drawing is called the number fifteen pipe. When the pipe i2 is put under pressure, the impulse valve functions to cause pressure impulse in the pipe 13 which leads to the valve actuating motor in housing 8.

The valve 6 conforms to the showing in Patent 2,222,604. An impulse valve of the type mentioned is illustrated at I55 in Patent 2,243,244.

The pipe M leads from the valve 5 to the motor portion I5 of a normally open sanding switch I6. During any sanding effected by operation of the valve 6, the pipe [4 is under pressure, and the switch [6 is closed by the motor IS.

The pipe ll leads to the motor l8 of the normal- .ly closed'interlock switch l8. During timed sand- This permits sand- No novelty is here claimed for the apparatus so far described, for it is a standard controlling arthroughout the locomotive and the train of cars,

q'rs zap-ems 5. 4. between ars-*3. t

The other terminal of the battery 2| is connected by line 24 with one contact of the normal ly open switch [6. The other contact of switch 16 is connected by a branch line 25, first with one" contact of the normally closed interlocking switch I9, and second with one terminallof'tl'ie Windin 26 of normally closed magnet valve 21, the other terminal of which is connected to the common return line 22.

The normally closed valve 21 receivesair from any source, such as main reservoir via pipe 28 and is "connected through the branched pipe 29 with the air supply ports of the locomotive sand traps, two of which are indicated at 31 .v

The traps 3|"may be of any'suitable construc tion; and it is immaterial to the invention Whether or not they contain an impulse timing valve for clean out purposes. Preferably'they do'include this component for which no novelty is here claimed. v

The other terminal of the normally closed interlock switch 19 is connected directly to line 32 which extends throughout the cars of the train. The line 32 is connected from car to car by connectors 33 similar to the con'nector 23 already mentioned. a

Connected between the common return line 22 and the line 32 are the windings 34 of the sand ing control magnet valves, one of which is located on each car of the train and only one of which is illustrated in Figure l. Theconstruction of this valve is shownin detail in Figure 2,

to'which reference should now be made.

The car'sanding' valves are each mounted on a corresponding pipe bracket 35 to which all pipe connections are made. These are the sanding air supply connection 36 which leads from the sanding supply reservoir 3! charged by any suitable means (not illustrated), pipe 38 which leads to a timing reservoir =39,-pipe 40 which leads to two sand traps 4lwhich-may be'similar to the traps 3.! already described, and pipe 42 which is the number fifteenpipe of the control valve on' the car.

The purpose in illustrating two-sanders on the locomotive and two sanders on the car is merely to indicate that a plurality of sanders are controlled in unison. As a rule there would be a larger number than" two both'on the locomotive and on each car.

Bolted to the pipe bracket 35 is the body 44 of the local sanding control valve and the body 45 of a relay valve'which controls the main flow of air to the sanders. In the parts 35, 44 and 45 there are a number of passages some of which are continuations of the pipes 36, 3B, 40 and 42. For simplicity such passages are identified by the reference numerals applied to the pipe since they are simply continuations thereof.

4 The pipe 46 communicates with the valve seat 46'pressed into the bracket 35 and controlled by a combined diaphragm and valve 41 whose peripher'y'is clamped in a' seat formed in thematsion spring 49. The space around the seat 46 is in communication with the supply passage 36, and thus the valve 41 controls flow from this supply passage to the car sander connecting pipe 40 and is normally closed.

The space to the right of the valve and diaphragm 41 is connected by a passage 5i with the valve chamber. .52 .formedin .the, body..44. Within aware tumb er amoun o nb ied Poppet valves, an exhaust valve 53 which is normally closed, and a supply valve 54 which is normally open. The valves simply telescope together and are biased by acoil compression spring 55 in an upward direction so that the spring holds the valve154' off its seat 56 and holds the valve 53 against'it's seatf5'l. .The passage through the seat 51 leads to atmosphere at 58.

The chamber below the seat 56 is in communication with the supply connection 36. The valve 53 has a pilot or stem 59, and when this stem is forced downward, the supply of pressure fluid to the space to the vright of diaphragm 41 is out 01f and that space is vented to atmosphere. The

' effect is to permit flow 'fromthe supply'connecscribed. Thearmature 63 may be manually depressed by a spring retracted button 65 The second means for operating the valves through the lever 61 is an'impulse motor. This comprises a diaphragmr66 clamped at its periphery between the housing-14 and a cap 61. The cap and housing are formed to provide chambers above and below the diaphragm. These chambars are in communication through a flow restricting choke 68, and the chamber below the diaphragm is in communication with the number fifteen pipe connection 42. The space above the diaphragm 66 is in communication with connection 38 which leadsto thetiming reservoir 39. Thus the timing reservoir serves to enlarge theefiective volume above the diaphragm 66. The diaphragm '66 reacts upwardly against the stem 69 which passes through a tubular elastic sealing'member H which performs the double function of biasing the stem 69 downward and of inhibiting leakage around the stem. The upper end of the stem 69 engages an adjustable thrust'member T2 threaded in the right hand end of lever 61 and locked in adjusted positions by a check nut as shown.

Operation If the engineer depresses the sanding-at-will button 8, the eflect is toclose switch l6 and open switch IS with the result that only the winding 26 is energized. In consequence air is supplied to the locomotive sanders 3|:

If the engineer depresses the" timed sanding button '1, or if an emergency application initiated at the head 'ofthe train operates impulse valve H, the switch IE 'will be closed and the interlock switch l9'will' remain closedz' In consequence the winding 26 and the windings'34lnonkcars throughout the train will be energized; 1'

The locomotive-sanders are operated as'already described, and: the cari 1' sanders;v are op" sanding.

erated as follows. Energization of winding 34 shifts the valves 53, 54 and vents the space to the right of the valve diaphragm 41; supply pres sure forces the valve diaphragm to the right; and air flows from the supply reservoir 31 to the sanders 4|.

This action will precede the functioning of the diaphragm 66 where the application is initiated at the head of the train, but suppose the application is initiated at the rear of the train by any means. The control valve on the nearest car will move to emergency and put its number fifteen pipe under pressure. This subjects the lower side of diaphragm 66 to pressure before any equalizing pressure can develop above the diaphragm. The diaphragm 66 moves up, and the stem 69 rocks lever 6| counter-clockwise,

Shifting the valves 53, 54 and causing the opera- It may be remarked that the diaphragm 66 functions in every emergency application, but in case where sanding is initiated automatically at the head of the train, the winding 34 will be enenergized and will have started sanding before the diaphragm 66 becomes effective to cause The mechanism above described operates according to the basic principles disclosed in the Campbell patents but greatly extends the commercial utilit of the Campbell concept by providing an extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive structure. There are only two poppet valves and one diaphragm valve in the control device of Figure 2. This leads to low initial cost and low maintenance cost because devices of this type operate with a remarkable precision and lend themselves to economical manufacture.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described in great detail irr'compliance with the patent statutes, the embodiment'is intended to be illustrative, and no necessary limitation to the exact structure is implied.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a sand trap; valve means biased to a closed position and controlling the supply of compressed air to said trap; and two means each arranged to open said valve means independently of the other, one thereof comprising an electromotive winding suited for inclusion in a train circuit and the other comprising a pneumatic impulse motor having timing means to terminate its action, said motor being suited for energization by an air brake control valve. 4

2. The combination of a sand trap; a fluid pressure actuated valve controlling the supplyof compressed air to the sand trap; a pilot valve arranged to control said pressure actuated valve and biased to a position in which it maintains the pressure actuated valve closed; and two means each operable independently of the other and each capable of directly actuating said pilot valve in opposition to said bias, one thereof comprising an electro-motive winding suited for inclusion in a train circuit, andthe other comprising a pneumatic impulse motor having timing means to terminate its action and suited for energization by a brake control valve.

3. The combination of a sand trap; a fluid ing means to terminate its action and suited for energization by a brake control valve.

4. The combination of a sand trap; a fluid pressure actuated valve controlling the supply of compressed air to the sand trap; a pilot valve of the admission and exhaust type controlling the pressure which actuates the supplyvalve; meansbiasing the pilot valve to a position in which it causes the supply valve to close; and two motor means each operable independently of the other to react in thrust upon said pilot valve to shift the valve against said bias, one thereof comprising an electromotive winding suited for inclusion in a train circuit witha shiftable armature for delivering said thrust reaction, the other comprising a pneumatic im-' pulse motor having timing means to terminate its action and including a pressure operated movable abutment and connections for delivering the thrust of said abutment to said pilot valve.

LEWIS A. SAFFORD. 

